Trahl'es'das
'The Book of the Trahl'es'Da, '''Rewritten for the Modern Word Long ago, a bored Madgod discovered the twisted power of the shadow. He found it could live, move, breathe, think. With this he created a demi-god of shadow, hidden and chained away in his realms of torment. It is an eye-shaped monstrosity that he would use to govern theirsoldiers. Trahl'es'Das. Weapons of the Shadow. Often bastardized in human language as "Trilesta", as well. They are immortal assassins picked from the shadow itself and commanded by the Madgod. To become a Trahl'es'Da is not for the pure or the true. It has always attracted a specific kind of personality. Usually contradictory or conflicting emotions within a mortal. Evil, but noble in goal. Hate, with admiration. Despise for their betters without the need to carry out vengeance. This is only a minor crop of what the shadow searches for. One of the very first forms of this is Allein Dakür a demon from another plane. One of the first of the Madgod's experiments to control a demon with various form of magic. The details are unnecessary as to the conditions of her choosing, but so it was. Several thousand years later, she still serves the Madgod and the Shadow. (Though, begrudgingly) There can only be a couple dozen Trahl'es'Das in existance, too many of these powerful immortals would be problematic. The relationship between the Madgod and the shadow is tenuous, but stable. He goes to great lengths to make sure Trahl'es'Das are not born without his consent. If they are, they are eliminated. After a Trahl'es'Da is chosen, the true test of their mental will begins. The metamorphosis can take months or years, it varies with an individual. Their mind is the first to be affected. This is a simple occurrence, the individual may think they are going insane as they hear the shadow whisper assurances and suggestions. But their body is never forced or commanded. At this stage, their will is their own. The second part of the metamorphosis comes much later as their physical being begins to change. Again, it always varies on the manifestation or the mutations. But the unanimous occurrence is the heart. For this stage, the heart is the most important to an early Trahl'es'Da (It isn't later on, so don't attempt to locate your nearest Trahl'es'Da and stab it in the heart) because most of the shadow composition goes there to be "filtered" like normal blood. After a short and painful process, the heart is reshaped to a twisted vision of what it used to look like, and begins to pump all throughout the body. The third stage could take another year. Or two. Or a week if the individual is aware and accepting. Once more, the events and manifestation of this stage vary. Also once more, the one constant is the vomiting of a thick black fluid. A lesser known fact upon this piece of metamorphosis, is that this is the liquefied form of their humanoid organs (Animals are not chosen for this. In his madness, the Madgod loves to watch the psychological effects, and it's not so amusing with animals). This also may come from the eyes, or other undesirable orifices. Best case scenario, the individual should wish they are alone at this point. For a temporary amount of time, their mind cannot comprehend friend or foe. It is the truest display of a Trilesta's power without restraint, and they will kill friends, family, innocent or not, until their change is finished. Not every individual survives this. Even the shadow must bow to simple science. Sometimes the physical stress is too intense, and the body shuts down and dies before completion. In the event they survive (and most do), they look as normal as they had before. But with a whole set of powers. Trahl'es'Da powers range widely. And like anyone else, they find a few that work well and use those exclusively. These powers include, but are not limited to; '''Mind Reading', and not your conventional kind. A Trilesta is built to be violent. When they read minds, the target will almost always know someone is visiting their head. The pain can be intense for the more sadistic of Trilestas, but more often than not the target can see specific visions pertaining to the Trahl'es'Das presence. Trahl'es'Da may also use the shadow, or the simple cover of darkness to transport'''themselves to another dark area. They may use the Eye as a gate to travel larger distances, but there must be one at the other end. They may '''summon various weapons out of the shadow. The most common is the iconic pistol, whose ammunition type can change on command. A Trilesta may also summon swords, and some kinds that replace their arm completely. This is more for show than practicality, but it kills all the same. On a less violent note, clothing can also be made by Shadowcrafting. It can be summoned and de-summoned at the users will, but it's physical. Simply casting light/holy magic will not de-render its presence. There is an entire set of shadow-minions they may also summon, and that has its own section later. There are many others, but those are the highlights. Now, it is somewhat unwise to begin listing a Trahl'es'Das weaknesses, but everything must be documented. And please allow me to remind the reader that the shadow and its Trahl'es'Das are not necessarily evil. They are at odds with the light, but their actual enemy varies and is mostly dictated by the will of the Madgod. That said, their primary weakness is light or holy magic. But that alone can only debilitate a Trilesta, not destroy them. Effects vary, but they can often be set ablaze when concentrated light is fired upon them. They are also weaker in direct sunlight, but specific powers are usable, such as summoning. But transportation can be cut off at the knees if light is directed on them. As I've written, everything varies. Actual Trahl'es'Das can only be permanently destroyed by the Madgod himself, if they become too unstable. The most any outside individual can do to a Trilesta to any effect is dismemberment. Removing a limb is too much for the shadow to heal (It can, but it takes too much time if in a combative situation), leaving them vulnerable. Specifically, removing the head is enough to shut a Trahl'es'Da down. But that does not eliminate them. Their soul (If "soul" is even the proper term for them anymore) is transported to a subrealm of the Madgod's creation, where the specifics of their reemergence is planned and executed. This depends on the condition and location of their body, among other variables. The next section outlines several different types of shadow minions and their own culture. Minions ' Shadow imps;' Gangly and short creatures that serve as the infantry of the Shadow armory. They're mischievous little cretins who are more of an annoyance than a threat. Though it is preferably to the enemy not to get more than one latched onto them. Those claws are not for show. Shadow Warriors A step above the imps in both stature and threat. They stand upright most of the time, often wears light plated armor and dual wielding blades. That also employ more advanced tactics such as using cover and flanking. They're a lot more thoughtful, so unless there is a Shadow Knight in the immediate area, taking them out en masse is preferable. They also have the capability to speak (Unlike the Imps, who keep to the Madgod's dialect) ' Shadow Knights' Knights, along with their armored variant, are the most threatening unit in the Shadow army. Every time one pops up, troops of the enemy usually dread having to engage them. They wield spiked shields and large swords, most of the time. The armored variant usually brings out some form of heavy ranged weaponry, from grenade to rocket launchers. They also speak common, but it's very deep and is only heard to someone standing very, very close to them.